Sorry guys! A woman has come into your clubhouse.
I need to know something from the male perspective.
1. Do you feel that women should dress modestly for church services and functions?
2. Do you feel that if women dressed more modestly it would help any men with "lust"?
3. How do you feel about what your wife and daughters wear?
4. Do you think that women can dress modestly in pants?
#1 Yes,
Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way which seems right to a man (or a woman) and appears straight before him, but in the end of it is the way of death. {The Amplified Bible}
If this verse ran through every womans thoughts before setting out in the world. They would be doing their part as the body of Christ, which would help their brothers in Christ.
#2 Again yes,
For brothers, this should be how they fight that everyman's battle.
The war against lust is to build a three perimeters wall of defense into your life. What gets a man's motor running is in what he sees. He must train himself through the Spirit to walk in purity.
I) With your eyes: Bounce from objects of lust, don't will yourself to look, bounce from the sensual views that a mans eyes may target. You are going to notice woman in their gift of beauty, there is no way out of that. But if you gaze them up and down at their sexuality, heres where the boundaries must be set, and we must as men train ourselves not to cross these boundaries.
Starving the eyes, successfully, shutting off the flow of wrongful sensual images that come through the eyes. You have to retrain your eyes, put up your shield and not will yourself to look at sensual images.
If you do cross the boundary line then you must repent of it and do as Paul said in the Word. Casting down all imaginations and anything not to knowledge of God, taking every thought captive and bring it into obedience to Christ. Then press on, start again, learn from that grace.
II) In the mind: You have to keep your mind from taking that image, block it before it gets there, put up your shield. you must evaluate and capture them, "objects of lust". You must cast it down, keeping that image in your mind, will bring about friends, in thoughts and will build a desire that must be stopped in its tracks and brought into obedience to Christ. Starving the attractions, cleansing your mind flow of thoughts impure and lustful.
III) In the heart: The "Heart" the innermost defense perimeter - is in your heart. Crucifying that old flesh, crucifying anything impure. This perimeter is built by strengthening your love for God and His will for you. {His will is for you to remain pure.} We have "NO RIGHT" outside of Jesus in these areas.
If you are married strengthen also your affections for your spouse and your commit-ment to the promises and debts you owe them, love, honor, and cherish-ment. Love them as you love Christ Jesus. Grow in having a more genuine, positive, sacrificial heart commit-ment to-wards your spouse.
Joseph said; how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God. He did the other thing one must do in a harmful environment, he fled.
These are some of what sexual sin, lust, and impure thoughts do, they are sins against God. And they can cause more hurts to others as well. Look at what it cost David that night he went for a walk.
Choosing not to sin, understanding the enemy - so that we might not be deceived. Defense with your eyes, in your mind and in your heart.
Impurity is a habit working like a habit, not willing to look, impurity fights like an addiction-spiritual possession, purity always brings spiritual opposition. As men we must always be alert to it.
Job 31:1 - I dictated a covenant (an agreement) to my eyes; how then could I look (lustfully) upon a girl? (2) For what portion should I have from God above (if I were lewd), and what heritage from the Almighty on high? (3) Does not calamity (justly) befall the unrighteous, and disaster the workers of iniquity? (4) Does not (God) see my ways and count all my steps? (5) If I have walked with falsehood or vanity, or if my foot has hastened to deceit - (6) Oh, let me weighed in a just balance and let Him weigh me. that God may know my integrity!
(9) If my heart has been deceived and made a fool by a woman, or if I have (covetously) laid wait for my neighbor's door (until his departure). (10) Then let my wife grind (meal, like a bondslave) for another, and let others bow upon her. {TAB}
**Job made a covenant with God, that would cost him his wife if he did not walk upright in purity. Just let the Spirit give you revelation on all that Job did in saying that and going into covenant with the Lord about it.
#3 She dresses modestly, she walks the changed life. My oldest daughter, was not influenced by me, because of divorce, but she is some what good in that matter. I pray for her to get better with her choices in all things.
#4 Yes, if it is skin tight then, they should refer to Proverbs 14:12.
Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. {KJV}
These are the paths I have been taught and shown to fight everyman's battle. Paths of righteousness I walk empowered by the Holy Spirit to do it.
I pray they help women understand our battle and maybe can help other men in a path with weapons to use in this warfare.
Many things are took from the books of "Everymans Battle" and "Everymans Challenge". There is also one for women called "Every Woman's Battle.
May the Lord bless thee and keep thee
Only always for Jesus
in the love of a brother,
ggamble
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